Thanks to the Soft Roll-Out Program, Mosquito Hunters Franchisee Cindy Hostbjor Was Able to Establish Her Territory and Ramp Up Her Ground Game

Throughout her life, Cindy Hostbjor has traveled all over the United States and the world: She grew up in a military family, has a husband who worked in the oil industry, and spent 15 years traveling the country performing cooking demos with Kitchen Craft Cookware.

In 2019, Hostbjor decided she had done enough traveling. She wanted to spend more time with her husband, family and friends in her hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana — which ultimately led her to seek out a new business opportunity.

That opportunity was franchising with Mosquito Hunters. 

“I really was done traveling all the time,” Hostbjor said. “We were on the road basically all of the time, driving from place to place. We quite literally dodged heavy storms and tornadoes on a weekly basis; I was ready to be done — but, I wasn’t ready to be done working. I wanted to work for myself, be my own boss and be in Lafayette with my husband, family and friends.”

The desire to spend more time in Lafayette and become her own boss led Hostbjor to explore franchising. Throughout her research process, Hostbjor noted that one brand in particular kept popping up: Mosquito Hunters. 

The Mosquito Hunters brand resonated with Hostbjor for a few reasons. “What I really liked about Mosquito Hunters as a business was that it does a service for people,” she said. “When I was working with Kitchen Craft, I really thought I was doing a service for people — showing them how to use our waterless cookware, therefore showing them how to prepare healthy meals while also saving time, money and energy. Although mosquito and tick control is a completely different business, you’re still in the business of helping people. Mosquito Hunters is a business that helps bring people back to their yards. It alleviates the anxious feelings about ticks and any of the associated diseases.”

Additionally, Hostbjor noted that throughout the course of her discovery process, she was impressed with the level of professionalism from the Mosquito Hunters corporate team. “Everything they did was extremely professional and punctual,” she said. “And, when I met with Andy Fuller, the CEO, he was also really professional, knowledgeable and down to earth.”

As far as Hostbjor was concerned, Mosquito Hunters checked all the right boxes for this new business venture. 

Hostbjor signed her Mosquito Hunters franchise agreement in July 2019 and services the Lafayette, Louisiana community. She was even able to bring on her business partner from Kitchen Craft — Sandy Hayes — as her office manager, which Hostbjor noted was a huge selling point for her. 

Another huge selling point for Hostbjor on becoming a Mosquito Hunters franchisee? The Soft Roll Out Program (SRO). Because she signed on with the brand in July, Hostbjor was the perfect candidate for the program: Franchisees who sign on with the brand between April and August are eligible. Summer is considered the brand’s peak season so an owner who signs on during this period wouldn’t have enough time to get everything done in order to be up and running. Rather than rushing the process, the SRO program allows new owners to train, obtain licenses and begin their “Ground Game,” activities such as networking and marketing at the local level. 

“Most importantly, the SRO program gave me the opportunity to really lock in my territory,” Hostbjor said. “I was able to have enough time to solidify my presence as a new business owner in Lafayette: I drove my Mosquito Hunters branded vehicle all over town, put out lawn signs and handed out marketing materials. Actually, we ended up getting a lot of our customer base from Ground Game activities.”

“With the Soft Roll Program, new Mosquito Hunters franchisees are able to spend the time needed to really ramp up their business,” Mosquito Hunters Franchise Development Manager Ronald Ens said. “Cindy Hostbjor is a prime example of how beneficial the SRO program can be for first-time business owners. Cindy was able to establish such a strong Ground Game that most of her customer base came from seeing her lawn signs or her Mosquito Hunters branded vehicle driving around town.”

Now that the 2020 busy season is almost here, Hostbjor is really excited to get out there and make a name for her Mosquito Hunters franchise. “I am setting realistic goals for my first full season as a Mosquito Hunters franchisee — I hope to add 100 customers quickly as I further establish a base here in Lafayette. I plan to hire my first technician soon and will eventually start looking for a small office that’s outside of my home.”

Founded in 2014, Mosquito Hunters has quickly become the leader in the fast-growing mosquito and tick control space. Now with more than 80 locations spanning 23 states, Mosquito Hunters boasts a business model with consistently high profit margins, recurring revenue streams, growth potential and a low cost of entry. 

The total investment necessary to open a Mosquito Hunters franchise ranges from $70,107 to $85,903. The franchise license fee ranges from $25,000 to $35,000. For more information on franchising opportunities with Mosquito Hunters, visit https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/.